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You know how there are those secret places in some cities where the coolest shit happens but the public at large hasn’t caught on to it yet? Secret clubs, bars, coffee shops, record stores, pool halls, truck stops, crematoriums, and so on? Yeah, well, Minneapolis has one of those secrets. Every Monday night a lone figure mounts the stage, orgasms, then climbs onto it to host the sort of comedy show that comics love. That figure is my lifelong friend Andrew Brynildson and the show is The Monday Night Comedy Show.

In 2007 Andy created something unique to Minneapolis, a comedy show that operates as a writers room with an eye toward launching new comics, letting existing comics try out new material, and sometimes even forcing established comics out of their comfort zones. It’s lose and wild but here’s why it doesn’t devolve into an unwatchable open mic: it isn’t one. Andy pre-books this weekly experiment, carefully sculpting the chaos into something uniquely entertaining. He creates the framework needed for freedom to occur. This is why comedians love it as much as audiences.

At this point I suspect Andy would point out that the reason the show works is that there is a plethora of incredible talent in the Twin Cities (I could call and ask him but fuck it, I know him pretty well as you can tell from how he would totally use the word plethora). He’s right but what’s telling is that they all like to play this show and have for nearly eight years. They like it so much that they tell their traveling bretheren that while they’re in town for their paid gig, they have to get booked at MNCS too. It’s that much fun for comics.

How could you miss all that? And who’s not on that list? Andy Brynildson, because he built this mass of comedy awesomeness and he hosts the damn thing. He’s one of my best friends in the world and he’s damn funny.

Anyway, I read it and my blood boiled. What complete ass hats. I wanted as many people as possible to read this article and drop Nationwide like a rock for being sexist, insensitive, evil fucks. We should be years beyond this sort of crap.

Then I started thinking how it pains me that they use the Ben Folds song You Don’t Know Me featuring Regina Spektor in their TV ad. It’s such a great, fun song and now it’s associated with these evil fuckers. So sad.

Almost as sad as that dead kidsuperbowl ad they ran. What is wrong with this company? They seem to be devoted to sucking and if standing with women isn’t enough for you to drop them then do it for the dead kid that ruined your superbowl.

With every bit of media we consume in this country there is an army of creative people playing their part behind the scenes. Some of these people are so incredibly, mind blowingly talented and awesome that it’s a shame that they aren’t famous. One such person is my lifelong friend Kate Zarvis.

Kate works in the art department for all kinds of different movies and TV shows but before she did that, I knew her as a painter and punk icon in the Twin Cities. I’ve always liked her work. Getting involved in the film industry just made her that much more awesome. Impressive considering the incredible level of awesome she already possessed.

Anyway, that’s why you all need to know Kate. Go, now, and check out her website.